


Believe In The Supernatural

by ImGhostProofBaby



Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Believer!Shane, TW for car accident but only brief mentions, bfu, buzzfeed unsolved - Freeform, ghost!ryan, ryan bergara - Freeform, ryan’s dead, shane madej - Freeform, shaniac turned boogara, skeptic!shane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-06-11
Packaged: 2020-02-27 09:39:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 3,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18736462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImGhostProofBaby/pseuds/ImGhostProofBaby
Summary: “I’m telling you guys, I heard him!”“Ryan’s been dead for two weeks, Shane.”





	1. Chapter 1

Two weeks. That’s how long it took for Ryan Bergara to show up again. Granted, it wasn’t exactly his idea to die and then, in a sense, wake back up in the last place he wanted to be.

The Sallie House.

”Nope,” he had said. “Fuck this. Fuck all of this house.”

Of course, when he had tried to open the door, he couldn’t grasp the handle. He was a ghost, after all. Naturally he felt some joy that he had been right and Shane had been wrong about the existence of the supernatural. He wasn’t too happy about being stuck in the Sallie House, though.

Luckily for him, the entity in the House that refused to share its name helped him out, opening the door and setting Ryan free. He made a mental note in his head that ghosts could go wherever they pleased, they weren’t just stuck in one area.

He was also definitely not pleased to remember the trek he had laid out in front of him in order to return to LA. Since he couldn’t quite grab onto anything, getting into some stranger’s car or on a bus would be..difficult.

He spent one week and three days figuring out how to do the whole existing-as-a-ghost thing. Occasionally he would still drop the objects he was holding, losing focus just long enough for them to phase right through. For the most part, though, he wasn’t doing half bad.

Four days it took for him to get home to LA.

Four days of bouncing from car to car, bus to bus, and vehicles of the like. 

He didn’t really notice the passage of time as much, since he had no need to eat or sleep or anything else that he had had to do when he was alive. That just made it all the more easy to get home.

Home to see Marielle.

Home to see Buzzfeed.

Home to see Shane.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shane receives an incredibly distressing phone call.  
> Featuring Obi, everyone’s favorite cat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First chapter was just a bit of backstory, now we’re onto the real stuff.
> 
> TW: Car crash mentions, nothing too detailed

Shane Madej was somebody who led a fairly average life with a more than average height. He slept and ate, and he worked at Buzzfeed with his best friend, Ryan.

That is, until Ryan wasn’t around anymore.

Shane was at home when he got the phone call from Helen, Ryan’s girlfriend.

”Hey, Helen, what’s up?” he asked, tilting his head so his phone was trapped between his shoulder and his head while he hung up some laundry.

”It’s Ryan,” came her teary voice from the other end of the line. Immediately, Shane stopped what he was doing, sitting down on his bed.

”What about him?” He could hear the nerves in his voice, and a twisting feeling in his stomach told him something was wrong.

”He..he got into an accident, Shane,” she answered. “Ryan’s dead. It happened a few days ago, they think. Some back country road people don’t drive on much.”

He froze, and if anybody would’ve seen him, it wouldn’t have been hard for them to mistake him for some weird, lanky statue.

”His funeral is on Saturday.”

_Ryan’s dead._

“We’d really like you to be there, if you can come.”

_Ryan fucking Bergara is dead._

Shane struggled to breathe.

”I’ll text you the details.” Helen sniffled, seemingly unaware of Shane’s silence.

”I’ll be there,” Shane said, his own voice surprising himself. It was quiet, quieter than he usually spoke.

”Thank you. Goodbye, Shane,” Helen said.

”Yeah.”

She hung up, though Shane still kept the phone pressed to his ear, unable to move.

_He didn’t even get to say goodbye._

Obi, Shane’s cat, hopped up onto the bed, giving a curious “Mrow?” and gently nudging Shane’s hand.

”He’s gone, Obi,” he said, numb. “Ryan’s gone.”

The shock had settled in, leaving him shaking but unable to cry, though tears burned behind his eyes.

Obi, of course, was only a cat and didn’t understand English. Despite that, he could sense the distress rolling off his human in waves and gave another meow before curling up next to Shane, purring.

“Why was he on that road, Obi?” Shane whispered. 

Again, cats can’t understand English. Obi meowed in response, though more so at the noise of Shane speaking that the words themselves.

”I gotta..I need to.. I need to talk to..” Shane caught himself before the end of the sentence. It wasn’t exactly like he could talk to Ryan about his own death. Something inside of him made him tempted to use a ouija board, not that he believed they worked anyway. It was just some scrap of hope to cling on to. A piece of memory, the two of them lounging on a bridge in the dark, board between them.

”Fuck you, Goatman!” he could remember shouting, though not at the same time they used the board, taunting the “entity” that “lived” on the bridge. 

The memory seemed decades in the past now.

He squeezed his eyes shut, fighting against the burning of unshed tears. He could feel the warmth of Obi pressed to his leg, and for a moment it almost felt like when Ryan had scooted closer to him in the Sallie House.

Just another memory, feeling years back down a road unable to be travelled any more.

At least, that’s what Shane thought.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Wherever he is now, I hope there’s plenty of berry-themed treats for him.”

Being a ghost wasn’t nearly as bad as Ryan had anticipated. It was nice to have the extra time, though it wasn’t exactly like he could do very much. He could see other ghosts, though not many stopped to talk to him, busy with their own ghostly business. He did make a friend, though, a somewhat transparent corgi with a collar tag that read Queso. Queso seemed content to follow Ryan along, and thus was there by Ryan’s heel as he stood and watched his own funeral.

It was all, frankly, quite strange to see a coffin he knew that held him. His family had opted for closed-casket, which a part of him did appreciate. He didn’t want to see his post-crash body, and he had figured anyway that others wouldn’t be too keen to, either.

Ryan absently crouched down to rub behind Queso’s ears. There was a bit of feeling there, but not nearly as much as there would’ve been if they both would’ve been alive. The pair sat and watched as Ryan’s friends, family, and coworkers talked about him, tears in their eyes as they went through their favorite memories.

Shane went last.

Ryan let his hand rest on Queso’s head, listening to his best friend’s words.

”If Ryan were here, I’m pretty sure he’d be cracking a joke about how nobody can see his picture behind me because of my giant head,” Shane began. 

“Crouch, then, big guy,” Ryan whispered, a hint of a smile on his face.

”I’d have to say..Knotts Berry Farm would be one of my personal favorite memories,” Shane continued, wiping the back of his hand across one of his eyes. “That boy loved his berries almost as much as he loved huntin’ for ghouls. Wherever he is now, I hope there’s plenty of berry-themed treats for him.”

Shane stepped away from the podium and walked back to his seat, shoulders slumping when he sat. Ryan sat in the empty space next to him on the floor, Queso resting his furry head on Ryan’s leg.

——

The funeral and burial seemed to go by in a blur, and soon enough, Ryan was sitting in the backseat, a ghostly passenger in Shane’s car. Queso was sleeping on Ryan’s lap, weighing almost nothing, as expected of a ghost dog.

It felt a bit strange, in Ryan’s opinion, to be haunting his best friend. This was the perfect opportunity to prove the existence of ghosts, though, and there was no chance that he wasn’t going to take it.

When the trio arrived at Shane’s apartment, Ryan followed him up the stairs, the corgi trotting obediently behind him. Shane shuffled to his room and all but collapsed onto the bed, an arm thrown over his face. Obi meowed in protest at the movement, but locked eyes with Queso almost immediately afterwards.

”It’s just us, Obi,” Ryan said. “We won’t hurt you.”

Obi just let out a low growl, not breaking eye contact.

”What’s up, Obi?” Shane asked, not moving his arm to look. “There’s nothing here.”

Still, the cat’s growling was relentless.

”Let’s go,” Ryan sighed, patting his leg to get Queso to follow him out of the room. The corgi let out a yip, then scrambled after Ryan.

”You okay with hanging out here, little guy?” he asked, giving Queso another scratch on the head. “I’m not sure if you need to be walked as much as live dogs, but I’m down to walk around LA for a while.”

Like any normal dog, Queso’s tail began to wag frantically at the prospect of a walk.

”I’ll take that as a vote for some LA exploration, then,” Ryan said. “Good thing we don’t need a leash. No chance of secondary death by car for either of us.”

He stood from his spot on the couch, walking through the door and out toward the exit, hearing the quiet jingle of dog tags behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heck sorry this chapter took so long school is kicking my ass lol  
> 8 more days and then I’m free for the summer


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shane receives a little surprise from an unexpected visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so many perspective shifts I am so sorry  
> key:  
> ** - perspective/POV shift  
> —— - time skip

If Ryan was being honest, he felt a bit like a stalker as he sat at his old desk, watching Shane work. Over the time of Ryan’s death, Unsolved had been filtered out and eventually replaced with Ruining History. The fans weren’t too happy with the loss of the ghost and crime show, but agreed it wasn’t the same without Ryan.

”Jesus- the fuck?” Ryan said suddenly, feeling a shiver go through him. He looked down and away from Shane to see an arm going straight through him, grabbing at one of the few remaining items on his desk.

**

Shane’s eyes, on the other hand, snapped up and looked towards the noise he swore he heard.

”Did you say something?” he asked Jen, taking the pen she had picked up off Ryan’s old desk from her hand.

”No?” she answered.

”I swear I heard something..” He shook his head.

”Maybe it was a ghost.”

”Don’t be ridiculous, Jen,” he said. “Ghosts aren’t real. You sound like Ryan.”

A fresh wave of grief passed over him, and he had to clear his throat to keep it from showing in his voice.

”Someone has to tell you the truth,” Jen said, shrugging. 

**

It did hurt Ryan a little bit to hear Shane say that ghosts weren’t real when he was literally sitting _right next_ to him. Not that Shane knew that, apparently.

The practically transparent figure of a parrot chirped and hopped to the side when Shane reached for the mouse of his computer. Ryan smiled slightly.

”Settle, Paco,” he said. “Nice to know Shane didn’t actually eat you.”

The bird let out another chirp in response, flapping upwards to nest in the mess of Shane’s hair.

**

”I’m telling you guys, I heard him!” Shane said to nobody in particular, clearly exasperated, shaking his head again.

”Ryan’s been dead for two weeks, Shane,” Curly said from across the room before standing and walking over to Shane, putting a hand on his shoulder.

”I don’t know what I’m hearing, then.”

”Grief can do some weird things,” Curly said sympathetically. “We all miss Ryan. Honestly, I keep thinking I see him walking on the street with a little dog, but when I blink he’s gone.”

”Ryan would say you’re seeing a ghost,” Shane laughed, but there was no humor behind it.

”Yeah,” Curly replied. “Yeah, he would.”

**

Ryan watched Curly walk away before turning his attention back to Shane, who was packing up to go home. Ryan clicked his tongue to wake up a sleeping Queso, who cracked open one sleepy eye before rolling over and going back to sleep.Ryan wasn’t too bothered by it. The pup would follow him when he left. Always did.

”Leaving already, Madej?” Ryan heard.

”Not feeling too great,” came Shane’s response, though he didn’t stop his walking. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Queso popped up with a yip as Ryan followed Shane out of the office doors and to his car. 

The LA sunshine was bright, causing Shane to squint, though it didn’t affect Ryan at all. Just another ghost perk, he supposed. Thankfully for Shane, the car had been parked in the shade, so the inside of the vehicle didn’t feel like an oven.

The drive home was silent. Shane hadn’t even bothered to turn on the radio, Ryan noted, scratching Queso underneath the pup’s worn down, faux leather collar. At least it wasn’t a long drive.

——

Inside Shane’s apartment, Ryan lounged on the couch, watching Shane pace his kitchen. Finally, enough was enough.

“Dude, quit pacing and sit down. Drink some tea or something, you’re like a Bigfoot on crack,” Ryan said.

Shane froze in place, head slowly swiveling toward the direction of the couch.

”Ryan?” Shane asked tentatively. Obi trotted out of the bedroom at the sound of Shane’s voice, stopping quickly to throw a hiss in Queso’s direction.

”No, you will absolutely not tell me ghosts are real,” Shane whispered. “I’m just indenial, or something.”

”Get out of it then, big guy, I don’t have all day.” Ryan rolled his eyes, though it wasn’t as if Shane could see.

”Hang on, I need to..I gotta..God, this is so stupid.” Shane walked to his closet, pulling a box out before making his way back to the living room and sitting down. He emptied out the contents: one Ouija board, complete with plastic planchette.

”This is definitely something Ryan would’ve done, and I have to say, I feel like an idiot.” Despite his words, Shane set up the board.

”I don’t know how to start this off, or even if this works, so Ryan, if you’re here, move this little plastic thingy, or something.” Shane set his hands on the planchette as well.

”Are you fucking- Okay, fine.” Ryan moved the planchette to the Yes with a great deal of effort and let it sit there.

Shane just stared at it, eyes wide.

”This has to be fake,” he said.

Ryan took it in his hands again and spelled out l-o-o-k.

”Look?” Shane asked. “Alright, but if there’s a demon waiting for me, I’m not responsible for what Father Thomas does.”

Ryan could see Shane’s hands shaking as he picked up the planchette, looking through the hole.

Shane dropped it almost instantly with a loud exclamation of, “Holy shit!”

”Do you have to yell?” Ryan asked, wincing. He might be dead, but his hearing wasn’t exactly gone.

”I can hear you? I think?” Shane sounded like he was having a crisis. “And I saw you through this little plastic thing?”

”It’s a planchette, please stop calling it a ‘little plastic thing’ or I swear I will haunt your ass even harder.”

“Slow down, Ryan, you’re super quiet, it’s hard to hear you,” Shane said quickly. “Can you write?”

Ryan thought for a minute. “I can try?”

Shane said a quick goodbye to close the board, then went to the kitchen to grab a pen and paper, setting it on the table.

”Start from the beginning, if you can,” Shane requested. “This is huge news.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “The Best Parts About Being a Ghost; A Memoir by Ryan Bergara. That would be the book you’d write.”

“The Best Parts About Being a Ghost; A Memoir by Ryan Bergara. That would be the book you’d write.” Shane lounged back on his bed, legs crossed at the ankles and hands clasped behind his head.

Ryan, propped up on pillows next to Shane, rolled his eyes. “24 hours ago you didn’t even believe in ghosts. Now you’ve got them writing books?”

”I’m just saying, man,” Shane said, shrugging. “You could make a fortune.”

”Yes. With all of my money I will buy myself a ghost Ferrari to impress all the ghost girls.”

”All I could understand was ghost Ferrari, and let me just say, Mustangs are cooler.”

”And let _me_ say, you’re insane.”

“What was that?” Shane asked. “You said I’m right?”

Had Ryan had better control about whether his hands phased through objects, he absolutely would’ve given Shane a solid punch to the shoulder.

”You know exactly what I said, you asshole,” he laughed. 

“ _I’m_ the asshole? Who’s the one haunting his best friend here?” Shane tried to sound offended at the insult, but it was hard to disguise how grateful he was to have this communication with Ryan.

”I can leave at any time,” Ryan reminded him. “Just call an exorcist.”

”Or the Ghost Busters.”

Ryan paused for a second. “Wouldn’t we technically have been Ghost Busters?”

“I mean..we didn’t exactly bust any ghosts. So..no?”

Ryan ignored the answer because he wanted to be a Ghost Buster, as all paranormal investigators did. “Don’t you have work tomorrow, Bust Boy?” 

Shane threw a glance at the clock on his nightstand. 12:15 AM.

”Unfortunately, yes,” he sighed. “Office isn’t the same without you there.”

”I could follow you around if you want,” Ryan suggested. “Be a creepy work ghost.”

”And have all our coworkers think I’m insane because I look like I’m talking to myself?” Shane shook his head. “No. I’ll be okay.”

“Alright then, big guy. Get some sleep. I’ll bother you in the morning.” Ryan stood from the bed, leaving Shane to get ready to sleep.

On one hand, Ryan was happy he was ghost-ing well enough that Shane could understand him more and more often. On the other, he despised not being able to hang out and talk with Shane and the rest of their friends like normal, alive people. They all had long lives ahead of them, unless they were taken early like Ryan had been.

His real question was, why was he still on Earth? Was this where all people stayed when they died? And if that was the case, why hadn’t Ryan seen thousands more dead people walking around? 

Was unfinished business a thing?

What _was_ Ryan’s unfinished business?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took forever, and sorry it’s so short lol  
> The next one will probably be the last, I really only had ideas for a couple chapters, so I hope this doesn’t disappoint


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The man had been his best friend, after all.

Ryan’s unfinished business, it turned out, was to wait for Shane.

He really wouldn’t have asked for anything different. The man had been his best friend, after all.

Shane Madej passed away after a fight with cancer at 74. It was a hard one, but the man fought til he went down. Ryan was by his side the entire time.

Their respective girlfriends followed not long afterwards, one from a heart attack and the other simply from old age. 

Ryan was reincarnated as a young boy named Richard, and Shane as a boy named Charles. 

Whether or not they met later in life simply remains,

Unsolved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’d like to think this was an okay end to the story lol  
> I have another book in progress, and another idea on the way.  
> Hope you all enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and/or kudos are (obviously) not required, but are always appreciated.  
> Hope you enjoyed!!❤️


End file.
